


A Rock N Roll Fantasy

by aaliona



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, I kept thinking about Oscar Isaac's old band and this happened, M/M, Modern AU, Multi, Rose and BB8 are hopeful additions still being worked in, band au, musician au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-24 12:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aaliona/pseuds/aaliona
Summary: Poe wasn’t sure sometimes how they went from kids messing around in the garage to actual rock stars, but he didn’t want to jinx things by stopping to ask. When they needed a new drummer, Rey seemed like the perfect fit. Poe didn’t realize she’d come with such a distracting attachment.The rock star AU nobody asked for.





	1. (Just Like) Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> I'll warn you now that Finn doesn't show up yet in this chapter, but I had a lot of fun writing it and figuring out how everyone fit into a modern setting.

**KYLO REN LEAVES THE RESISTANCE TO JOIN NEW GROUP. BLAMES LACK OF CREATIVE COOPERATION AND PERSONAL DIFFERENCES.**

“He said he’s not coming back this time,” Jess said as they stared at the laptop together.

“He’s said that the last three times he’s quit,” Poe pointed out. He could feel a headache forming.

“Yeah, but he’s never lasted more than a week before.” She scrolled through the article again, as though it would magically change. “And he’s never done it this close to a tour before.”

“He was on a bender for half of that. It doesn’t count.”

“Look on the bright side,” Jess said, “they didn’t even name his band until halfway down the article. The headlines are giving us all the press.”

“Bad press,” Poe insisted. He pursed his lips together, glaring at Ben’s picture on the screen. “The First Order is a stupid band name anyway. And if refusing to wear Kiss-style face paint is ‘lack of creative cooperation,’ then I’m a fucking dictator.”

Jess turned rather suddenly and smacked his arm.

Poe jumped back “What was that for?”

“I’m obviously the dictator here.”

Poe softened a bit, glad he didn't have to go through this alone. Jessika had his back, and he had hers. They’d met in high school at a music camp when Poe decided to be a smartass.

“Aren’t you supposed to like boys to be a bassist?” He’d asked. He had no idea what her sexuality was, but he couldn’t resist the jab based on the stuff she’d been wearing all week.

Without pausing for a moment, Jessika had wheeled around. “Aren’t you supposed to like girls to be lead guitar?”

She’d had him there.

Still happy with her own joke, Jess grinned for a moment before turning serious. “We need to respond to this quickly, but I need more information before I can do damage control. You need to call Leia. Figure out if we still have a label without Baby Dearest attached to us.”

Poe felt a stone drop into his stomach at the very idea. “Skywalker Legacies wouldn’t drop us like that. They wouldn’t. She wouldn’t.”

“Well, call her and find out. Chop, chop, Dameron. I need answers before I can address this. The oldest article I can find is already four hours old, so I’m behind on a game plan.” She let out a frustrated hiss of air. “The fucker probably called them himself.” 

Jess jumped as her phone started ringing, but her anxiety didn’t seem to go down when she checked the ID. “It’s Connix. What do I tell her? I don’t know enough about our tour schedule to know if she still has a job.” Her voice instantly shifted as she lifted the phone. “Kay! How are you?”

Poe left her to deal with an answerless conversation with their tour manager—a quiet but forceful woman seemingly gifted to them by Leia Organa—and decided to bite the bullet and hopefully get some answers himself.

Leia answered on the second ring. “Dameron,” she said, sounding surprisingly chipper. “I was wondering how long you’d make me wait.”

“Tell me we’ve still got a record.” He could see himself in the hallway mirror and didn’t like it. The panic was far too obvious for Poe’s liking, and he worried it had seeped into his voice.

“Not wasting any time on pleasantries today, I see.”

“Leia, please.”

Poe heard her chuckle on the other end.

“First of all, I can’t yank a record when it’s been released for two months. Second, you’ve already sold out over seventy percent of the shows in your tour. And some of those are big shows, mind you. Third, I wouldn’t drop you anyway.”

All the tension melted from his body in an instant. “You wouldn’t?”

“No, as I matter of fact, I wouldn’t. I happen to like you guys and most of the people whose jobs are tied up in keeping you publicly presentable.”

Poe could practically picture her sitting there, lounging in her desk chair at work despite it being a Sunday. Her legs were no doubt crossed as she draped herself over one arm of the chair and propped herself on her desk, phone cradled to her ear because she didn’t believe in yelling over loudspeaker. Although he couldn’t tell from the call, she was probably drumming the fingers of her other hand on the desk, impatient with how long it was taking him to catch up to the level she was already on.

He couldn’t catch up if he tried, though. Not even her ex-husband or brother could do that, and the three of them had shared a tour bus for almost thirty years before pulling back the reins to leave her acting singlehandedly as president of their late parents’ record company.

Poe leaned against the wall as he tried to think of a coherent response for the woman he respected as much as his own mother. “But Ben…” That wasn’t what he was going for.

“Ben is a problem for me for another day,” Leia said. “For now, know that I will make him very sorry for inconveniencing everyone, specifically you guys. I’m more upset with myself for not realizing that Snoke’s sniffing was something Ben would take seriously.”

“He’ll realize soon it was a downgrade, maam,” Poe said to lighten her mood. “Snoke Records can’t offer him anything Skywalker couldn’t, and I doubt The First Order will put up with more shit than we did. Probably less.” 

He wondered too late if he shouldn’t hold back on insulting her son with a betrayal so fresh, but Leia brushed it off with practiced ease. Ben had pulled a lot of shit in the past thirty years.

“He’s been dishing that out since he was in diapers,” she replied. Poe could practically see her eye roll. “Literally back then.”

Poe wrinkled up his face, but it was that moment that Jess decided to pop back over.

“I have Connix placated for now, but I need something to tell her. I—Oh no.” Her eyes went wide. “We’re fucked, aren’t we?”

“No, no,” he assured her. “President Organa is merely explaining the figurative and literal shit Ben’s pulled over the years.”

The face Jess made in response echoed what Poe assumed his own looked like moments ago.

“Is Jessika there as well?” Leia asked, and Poe secured the phone against his ear.

“Yes, maam. She’s fielding calls from Connix, and I imagine other tour staff will be calling soon too. What should we tell them?”

Leia took a moment to respond, and Poe could feel the fear leaking back in during that time. “Tell her—and them—that it’ll all be taken care of. Han picked up a stray recently that he says is really good, but I told him she’d have to audition like everyone else. Can you guys stop by sometime tomorrow? I’ll have to check with his new _protégée_ first and see what time works for her.”

The word sounded bitter in her mouth, and Poe wondered if there was anything going on there. At very least, it sounded like there’s some suspicion, but if Leia was suggesting this girl for their image, she was either in a pinch or Han was now cradle-robbing. Poe severely hoped the answer was neither and that Leia was just being a suspicious ex-wife. After all, it wasn’t like her suspicions would be unfounded, even if Han did sleep over at her house, which was still a joint title despite the divorce) more often than Leia would willingly admit to the public. She didn’t have to when the paparazzi were around to do it instead.

“Anytime tomorrow,” Poe promised. “We can make whatever time she can work. Do you have any backups in case she doesn’t work out?”

Leia let out a snort. “I’m sure Chewie owes me a favor.”

She hung up at that, leaving Poe speechless. The man was a legend, no doubt, but Poe suddenly hoped beyond hope that this chick would work out.

Hairy old dudes were not his ideal bunkmate.

\--

“She’s pretty good,” Poe mused as Rey finished up a demo.

“And she comes highly vouched for,” Han promised.

When Leia sent him a look with pursed lips, Poe got the impression they’d had this conversation the night before.

“In musical talent only,” Han added, suddenly looking much more like the grouchy old man Leia often teased he’d turned into.

“I believe it,” Poe said. Anything to cut off a fight between Mom and Dad was a good play in his book. “She’s too young and attractive to be interested in a washed up old man.”

Leia let out a laugh while Han sputtered, “Washed up old—I’ll show you who’s washed up!” At merely a hand raise from Leia, he held back, but Poe was sure he’d get it later.

“Too _everything_ to be interested in men,” Jess said, her voice betraying a daydream in motion. “Tell me she’s not interested in men.”

“Eyes on the prize, Pava,” Leia commanded. She paused, and Poe was sure she was rethinking her words. “The prize is a bandmate, not a bedmate. Try to stay professional here, especially if you end up working together.”

“We do need a new bad boy now,” Poe joked. “I’m sure Jess can step up.”

“How’d I do?” Rey asked, her voice alive with a force Poe could only associate with music, despite crackling through the speakers from the recording booth.

“That was great,” Leia said back through the mic. “Have you listened to the latest album?”

“I’ve had it on repeat,” Rey admitted, and hey, Poe liked her better every minute.

“Good.” Leia rifled through a couple papers they’d prepared ahead of time to make sure she had the right song. “I’m going to play the recording for ‘Escape With Me’ without the drum track. Take a little time if you need to, but then jump in with whatever you feel is right.”

This was the real test. Poe had poured his heart into this song more than any others that made it on the tracklist. Jess had said any song worked for her, but Poe had wanted this one. He needed this to sound right. Plus, it wasn’t a drum-heavy song, so it would show them Rey’s ability to show restraint in contrast to the solos and showiness she’d already demonstrated she could do.

While Leia had suggested taking a little time, Rey didn’t need it. She was ready to go as soon as the track started. After taking the same number of counts Ben had to let the guitar strum happen alone, she came in.

When she hit the end of the song, Poe let out a low whistle. “Where was she when we were recording this?” Opening his eyes wide as he remembered both Ben’s parents were in the room, he added, “No offense.”

Both of them were still looking at Rey. In unison, they said, “None taken.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case my worldbuilding wasn't clear (and some information that wasn't included):
> 
> Skywalker Legacies was originally founded by Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. The record label housed their kids' band Millennium Falcon and their grandson's band The Resistance. Ben (who performs under the stage name Kylo Ren) has recently left The Resistance to join The First Order and their label Snoke Records. The label is currently being managed by Leia (whose surname in this 'verse was a stage choice) with occasional help from Luke when he's around.
> 
> Millennium Falcon:  
> Han Solo: Lead guitar, lead vocals  
> Luke Skywalker: Bass guitar, backup vocals  
> Leia Organa: Keyboard, backup vocals, female lead vocals  
> Chewie: Drums
> 
> The Resistance:  
> Poe Dameron: Lead guitar, lead vocals  
> Jessika Pava: Bass guitar, backup vocals, female lead vocals  
> Rey Jakku: Drums, backup vocals
> 
> The First Order:  
> Armitage Hux: Lead guitar, backup vocals, male lead vocals  
> Phasma: Bass guitar, lead vocals  
> Kylo Ren: Drums, backup vocals
> 
> How does Finn fit into all this? You'll have to wait and find out! If you have any guesses on him or suggestions for tying in Rose and BB8 (I have ideas, but nothing concrete yet), feel free to let me know. I thrive on feedback.


	2. First Day of My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Resistance preps for their first performance with Rey as she does some planning of her own.

**THE RESISTANCE WELCOMES NEWCOMER REY JAKKU IN TIME TO OPEN THEIR GALAXY TOUR.**

“Ben’s going to lose it,” Poe observed, looking over Jess’s shoulder. “I’m pretty sure we were supposed to have to cancel at least a month’s worth of the tour according to his schedule.”

“Oh, he is losing it,” Rey said as she smiled down at her phone.

Poe and Jess both turned to stare at her in silence. 

After a few beats, she noticed. “What?”

Poe leaned forward to study her. He tried to keep his face neutral, but he was dying to know. “How do you know he’s losing it?”

She smiled and turned her phone around to show a somewhat blurry picture of Ben Solo in his typical black garb kicking over a makeup stool. “Because my best friend got hired for The First Order’s new music video and keeps sending me pics. He’d sent me video, but he’s afraid of getting caught and kicked off set. Apparently they were supposed to begin filming like half an hour again, but Kylo’s too busy throwing a fit about being replaced to do what they’re supposed to be doing.” Her smile faded a bit as she scrolled back through their messages. “It’s really sad actually. The dancers were all contracted under a flat fee, so Kylo’s just wasting their time.”

“We call him Ben around here,” Poe said.

Rey looked up, mouth opening a bit in surprise. “Even though it isn’t his stage name?”

Poe chuckled. “It used to piss him off to no end, so that was a bonus but not the main reason. As Leia has pointed out more than once, though, he’s never actually legally changed it, so she considers it a stage name only.”

Rey wrinkled her brow. “Isn’t Organa a stage name though?”  
“It’s not actually.” Poe shook his head. “She got permission to legally change it to her godparents’ name when she turned sixteen to separate herself from their legacy. A lot of people didn’t even realize she and Luke were related when they first got started as a band.”

“That’s crazy,” Rey said, her eyebrows arching as she thought back. “Wait, so did people think?”

“Yes, they did,” Leia answered as she let herself in. “I won’t pretend we didn’t use it to play with reporters every now and then.” She took in the room, at Jess hunched over her computer and Rey and Poe lounging on the couch. “I see rehearsal is going well.”

“Give us a break, maam.” Poe flopped back dramatically, knowing he would only get away with it because they were neither in public nor her office. “We’ve been at this for days. My fingers are going to fall off.”

Rey nodded, although she seemed a bit timid about doing so. “I do feel like I have a good grasp. I can do the _Galaxy_ album in my sleep, and I’ve got the big songs from the first one down. If we take requests ever, I’ll need to practice some of the more obscure ones first, but I could just as easily throw something down in a pinch and make it work.”

“I hate that concept,” Jess said, eyes not leaving the screen. “Of requests without any setlist, I mean.”

Poe tossed a pillow at her heart, and after freezing in her flinch for a moment, she turned to glare promises of payback at him. By the time she turned to Leia, that glare had completely melted away for something pleasant. “There’s a reason we don’t play ‘Inner Turmoil’ even though it’s got a minor following online. No one liked to play it except Ben.”

“He wrote it. He had to like it,” Poe retorted. 

Most of the music that ended up on the albums had been Poe’s writing with occasional collaboration from Jessika, who refused on principle to write anything on her own. The closest she came was bringing Poe nearly finished music to put lyrics to. Ben had written several options that almost made it on, but only four songs between their two albums had been his. He focused too much on drum-heavy work or wrote the lyrics with complete disregard for Poe’s vocal range. “I can do a lot,” Poe would always have to say in those moments, “but I’m not giving myself a ‘Daydream Believer’ moment.”

Leia shook her head. “You guys…” Straightening up, she motioned for them to join her as she pulled something up on her phone.

Poe was off the couch in a second, already halfway to Leia by the time the girls had stood up. “What do you need?” he asked as he leaned over her shoulder.

Side-eying him, she said, “For you to back up.”

Only once Poe had obeyed did Leia continue. “I know you’ve still got a few weeks before the tour official starts, but I want to add a kickoff event. You need a big to-do for Rey’s first show and the publicity it will drum up for the tour itself.”

“That’s not a lot of time to plan,” Rey said.

“Oh, believe me, I know. I’ve been planning it.”

Poe snorted. “Let me guess: it’s all done and you just need us to show up, right?”

Leia shrugged. “Mostly. There will be an afterparty, so be ready to mingle. Maybe throw a few prep pics up on social media before the show or during the party.” She slid her phone back into the pocket hidden away on the side of her dress. “That reminds me. Get something up for today’s rehearsal. I’d prefer it include Rey’s drumsticks or traps in some way, but you all decide that.”

“Leaving already?” Poe stepped back, already used to have quickly she would come and go. “The fun’s only just begun. We could get you in the picture, you know.”

She gave him The Look. “If I’m in it, it will look like I told you to take it. As far as anyone else is concerned, I didn’t.”

\--

_Are you sure I’m allowed to come?_

After reading the text, Rey rolled her eyes and groaned aloud.

Poe’s eyes flitted over to her briefly before he returned to the project of perfectly styling his hair into tousled perfection. It was a task he trusted no one else with. “That Finn again?”

“Yes,” Rey said as she began her response. “He’s still unsure about coming. He’s not sure he’ll be welcome since he did the music video for The First Order and everything.”

“Did he hate every minute of working with that pompous asshole?” Poe asked.

Rey nodded.

“Then he’s invited with open arms. Hell, tell him I’ll dance with him personally at the after if he can get to the front row.”

A wicked smile spread across Rey’s face. “Oh, I don’t believe that will be a problem.”

Poe wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that, but they only had about ten minutes until they went on. He didn’t have time to worry about his drummer being cryptic, especially when it wasn’t the threatening kind of cryptid he’d unfortunately become used to before shows.

As he left the dressing room to make sure things were ready to go backstage, he saw Rey raise her phone pointed in his direction, but he didn’t stop to wonder why. He didn’t even think to ask her about it as she and Jess came hurrying toward him later.

“Did you remember a spare set of sticks?” he asked, turning to Rey frantically.

“I know I haven't had this long history as a professional, but what do you think I am?” she asked with a scoff. She held up her main set and patted the spares—two sets of them—tucked into her book. “There’s also more backstage that I can grab between songs if I go a little too hard tonight.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Poe glanced toward the performance area.

From their current location, they could hear the buzz of Leia’s get together, a healthy mix of dedicated fans and studio friends with a dash of media presence thrown in. 

“Should we go over the setlist one more time? I want to make sure—”

“Poe, relax.” Jess cut him off with a hand clasped firmly on his shoulder. “We’re good. Let’s make some magic.”

“Yeah?” He nodded, the smirk associated with his stage presence appearing. “You know what? You’re right. Let’s give ‘em what they’re here for.”

He turned, and after waiting for a single from Connix, the three ran out together. Poe’s hands raised automatically as he offered up a big wave for their audience. “Who’s ready for some fun?” he yelled, his guitar already waiting where a tech had set it up.

As he slung the guitar over his shoulder, Rey laid down the beat for their first number. It was like they’d never performed without her before.

And if a cutie in the second row happened to catch Poe's eye, hey, he was only human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. Still no Finn. I'm sorry for that! I almost continued on for the after party in this chapter, but I figured I'd keep you in suspense of their meeting a little longer with a shorter chapter.


End file.
